The shuttle's position inside the tube can be read out directly via a simple measurement of electrical resistance, allowing the shuttle to function as a nonvolatile memory element with potentially hundreds of binary memory states.

"The shuttle memory has application for archival data storage with information density as high as one trillion bits per square inch and thermodynamic stability in excess of one billion years," Zettl said in a statement. "Furthermore, as the system is naturally hermetically sealed, it provides its own protection against environmental contamination."

Zettl said the low-voltage electrical write/read capabilities of the memory element in the electromechanical device allows for large-scale integration and should make for easy incorporation into today's silicon processing systems.

Zettl believes the technology could be on the market within the next two years.